Lord Ravensdale

The Prior Information Notice was published to support policy exploration under the previous Government and has since closed with 10 responses. The names of the organisations which responded is commercially sensitive. No decision has yet been taken on whether to pursue a future large-scale project.

The Department is a strategic partner of the Energy Skills Passport project in collaboration with industry and Scottish Government. The passport is an industry led initiative overseen by Renewable UK and Offshore Energy UK and supported by the UK and Scottish Governments.

The Department and Scottish government are working with RUK/OEUK to identify how best to expand the passport in the future.

Through the Nuclear Skills Plan, we are committed to encouraging career transitions and accelerating learning and upskilling for new entrants into the nuclear sector.

On 14th November 2024, the Government published a consultation to assess the value case for a UK Green Taxonomy, which closed on 6 of February 2025. The Government is reviewing responses and will provide a Government Response on next steps in due course.

The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) application processes ensure that effective and innovative products are rewarded in the SAP methodology and thereby in Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and retrofit schemes. Officials are working to reduce delays in the SAP applications process, including Appendix Q. By collaborating with commercial partners and gathering stakeholder feedback, officials are also looking at ways to continuously improve the turnaround times of SAP applications and reform the overall service.

We are working with Network Rail, Midlands Connect, and West Midlands Rail Executive, to maximise the benefits of Midlands Rail Hub throughout the region. Midlands Connect are leading the development of the rationale for the scheme, including the distribution of socio-economic benefits, and will be able to provide more detail.

My department has been conducting research into the practical, technical and economic impacts of regulating embodied carbon in new buildings. This research is now nearing completion and will inform future policy decisions, including when and how to seek views on the measurement and reduction of embodied carbon.

The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation was published in December 2023 and closed in March 2024, and a government response has not yet been issued. The consultation proposed that the new standards would apply to all new domestic and non-domestic buildings.

We fully support the need for low carbon homes and buildings, fit for a net zero future. We are reviewing proposals and feedback from the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation and will publish the government response in due course.